Sprinkler head



May 15, 1945. E. TYDEN SPRINKLER HEAD Filed June 9, 1943 Patented May 15, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPRINKLER. HEAD Emil Tyden, Hastings, Mich.

Application June 9-, 1943, Serial No. 490,151

- Claims.

This invention relates to automatic sprinkler systems designed to extinguish fires and eliminate fire hazards, and it is particularly concerned with certain features of a sprinkler head designed for use in such systems.

One object of the invention is to provide a new and improved sprinkler head for use in automatic sprinkler systems.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sprinkler head having a spreader and a toggle adapted to hold the closure cap of the head in place, together with a retainer for the toggle secured to the spreader to retain the toggle in locking position at normal temperatures.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sprinkler head with a closure cap and means for holding said cap in closed position, including a retainer secured to the spreader of the sprinkler head by a fusible connection which releases the toggle when the temperature exceeds a predetermined point.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sprinkler head embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken as indicated at line 3-3 on Figure 1, and one larger scale, showing the toggle in closure locking position and the retainer holding the parts in that position.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view similar to Figure 3, but showing the retainer released from the spreader and at an initial position in the release of the closure cap from the sprinkler head.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and re-arrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, and that the same is not limited to the particular form herein shown and described, except in so far as indicated by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing, Figure 1 shows a held normally in closed position by mean of a toggle structure, which includes a lever member 1 and a strut 8. The cover 6 is formed with a recess 9 in which the lower end portion ll] of the lever member 1 is rockably fulcrumed, this lower portion extending upwardlythat is, in substantially axial direction with respect to the bore 3 for a short distance, and being then bent transversely at H.

In or just beyond the bent portion said lever l is provided with a notch l2 in which the knifeedged terminal at the lower end of the strut 8 is seated. The upper end of the strut bears in a recess l3 formed in the lower end of an adjusting screw it which is threaded in a boss or bearing I5, integral with the upper portion of the yoke 2. From the bend H the lever 1 extends transversely, and at It is bent again to extend upwardly, with its terminal portion ll disposed in a notch [B in the periphery of the spreader IS.

The spreader is of the usual construction, supported by the yoke 2 directly opposite the opening of the bore 3, and said spreader is secured in position by the swaging over of a reduced portion 20 of the boss l5, with a flanged washer 2| of insulating material interposed, as shown in Figure 3. The central opening in the spreader l9 leaves the slotted head 22 of the adjusting screw 14 accessible for final securement of the toggle structure in looking position.

In such locking position the terminal portion ll of the lever 'l is held in the notch I8 of the spreader by means of a retainer 23, which is mainly annular in form, and which has an annular flange 24 of frusto-conical form, fitting into a, correspondingly shaped reces 25 in the outer face of the spreader, which is the portion facing away from the cover or closure member l. Said retainer 23 also has a laterally extending lug 26, providing an aperture 21 into which the terminal portion ll of the lever is loosely fitted, as seen in Figure 3. The retainer 23 is secured to the spreader l9 by means of solder or similar fusible sealing material 28, shown disposed between the fiat surfaces and between the conical surfaces of the spreader and retainer.

As the temperature rises, as in the event of a fire in the vicinity of a sprinkle head, the fusible seal 28 is melted and the lateral stress of the lever arm, acting through the lug 26, pulls the retainer 23 away from the spreader I9 and out of engagement therewith, as shown in Figure 4, thus permitting the lever 1 to swing outwardly, and to swing the strut 8 to a, position which permits the closure cap 4 and its cover 6 to be unseated from the end of the passage 3, as seen in Figure 4. The inclination of the frusto-conical flange 24 of the retaining member 23 and the corresponding slope of the annular face of the recess in the preader are such that upon the fusing of the sealing material 28 the stress in the lever I can be relied upon to slide the flange 24 upwardly along the wall of the recess 25 and free of the recess. A slight depression 29 in the lever 7, near its outer end, normally engages with the wall of the opening 21 and tends to maintain such engagement during the initial portion of the outward swing of the lever 1 to insure thus releasing the retainer 23 from the recess; but it will be evident that, as the lever swings farther outward, it may become disengaged from the retainer. In fact, all the movable parts, including the valve elements 4, 5, 6, the lever 1, strut 8 and retainer 23, will be separated from each other upon the fusing of the material 28 and the opening of the valve.

As shown in the drawing, the spreader I9 is formed with a shallow recess 30, which may be concentric with the recess 25 and which supplements the latter in resisting a substantial portion of the lateral stress'in the lever 1 so long as the retainer 23 is adhesively held to the spreader by the fusible material 28. Thus, the

shearing strength of the relatively soft material spreader and the retainer so as to prevent the strain of the lever from pulling the retainer out of its seat in the spreader until the seal 28 is fused.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a prinkler head which includes a base with a flow passage extending through it, a closure cap seating over the end of the passage, a yoke extending from the base over said cap, a spreader supported by said yoke, a toggle comprising a lever fulcrumed on the cap and a strut interposed between said lever and the yoke, the lever extending past the spreader and adjacent thereto, and a retaining member engaging the lever and attached directly to the spreader by a seal fusible at a predetermined temperature.

2. In a sprinkler head which includes a base with a flow passage extending through it, a closure cap seating over the end of the passage, a yoke extending from the base over said cap, a spreader supported by said yoke, a toggle comprising a lever fulcrumed on the cap and a strut interposed between said lever and the yoke, the lever extending past the spreader and adjacent thereto, and a retaining member engaging the lever and attached to the spreader by a seal fusible at a predetermined temperature, the spreader having a recess at the side facing away from the closure cap and said retaining member fitting into said recess with the fusible material interposed between the opposing surfaces of the spreader and the retainer.

3. In a sprinkler head which includes a base with a flow passage extending through it, a closure cap seating over the end of the passage, a yoke extending from the base over said cap, a spreader supported by said yoke, a toggle comprising a lever fulcrumed on the cap and a strut interposed between said lever and the yoke, the lever extending past the spreader-and adjacent thereto, and a, retaining member engaging the lever and attached to the spreader by a seal fusible end portion of the lever which at a predetermined temperature, the spreader having a circular recess at the side facing away from the closure cap and said retaining member having an annular flange fitting in said recess with the fusible material interposed between said flange and the urface of the recess.

4. In a sprinkler head which includes a base with a flow passage extending through it, a closure cap seatingover the end of the passage, a yoke extending from the base over said cap, a spreader supported by said yoke, a toggle comprising a lever fulcrumed on the cap and a strut interposed between said lever and the yoke, the lever extending past the spreader and adjacent thereto. and a retaining member engaging the lever and attached to the spreader by a seal fusible at a predetermined temperature, the spreader having a frusto-conical recess flaring outwardly at the side of the spreader facing away from the closure cap, and said retaining member having a frusto-conical flange fitting in said recess and held therein by the fusible seal.

5. In a sprinkler head which includes a base with a flow passage extending through it, a closure cap seating over the end of the passage, a yoke extending from the base over said cap, a spreader supported by said yoke, a toggle comprising a lever fulcrumed on the cap and a strut interposed between said lever and the yoke, the lever extending past the spreader and adjacent thereto, and a retaining member engaging the lever and attached to the spreader by a seal fusible at a predetermined temperature, the spreader having a frusto-conical recess flaring outwardly at the side of the spreader facing away from the closure cap, and said retaining member having a frusto-conical flange fitting in said recess, the recess and flange thus providing opposing shoulders at an angle sufficient to supplement the fusible seal in resisting the lateral strain of the lever but insufiicient to resist said strain alone when the sealing material is melted.

6. In a sprinkler head which includes a base with a flow passage extending through it, a closure cap seating over the end of the passage, a yoke extendin from the base over said cap, a spreader supported by said yoke, a toggle comprising a lever fulcrumed on the cap and a strut interposed between said lever and the yoke, the lever extending past the spreader and adjacent thereto, and a retaining member engaging the lever and attached to the spreader by a seal fusible at a predetermined temperature, said retaining member comprising a portion which is secured by the fusible seal directly to the side of the spreader facing away from the closure cap, and a lug extending laterally from said portion with a hole in said lug in which hole the end portion of the lever is loosely engaged.

7. In a sprinkler head which includes a base with a flow passage extending through it, a closure cap seating over the end of the passage, a yoke extending from the base over said cap, a spreader supported by said yoke,- a toggle comprising a lever fulcrumed on the cap and a strut interposed between said lever and the yoke, the lever extending through a laterally open notch in the edge of the spreader, and a retaining member comprising a portion secured by a fusible seal directly to the side of the spreader facing away from the closure cap with 9. lug extending from said portion and loosely encompassing, the

protrudes past said notch.

8. In a sprinkler head as defined in claim 3, an adjusting screw in the yoke providing a seat for one end of said strut and having a head which is accessible through the annular flange of the retaining member when the latter is seated in the reces of the spreader.

9. In a sprinkler head which includes a base with a flow passage extending through it, a closure cap seating over the end of the passage, a yoke extending from the base over said cap, a spreader supported by said yoke, a toggle interposed between said yoke and the cap and comprising a lever and a strut one of which is fulcrumed on the cap while the other is fulcrumed on the yoke, the lever extending past the spreader and adjacent thereto, and a retaining member engaging the lever and attached directly to the spreader by a seal fusible at a predetermined temperature.

10. In a sprinker head which includes a base with flow passage extending through it, a closure cap seating over the end of the passage, a yoke extending from the base over said cap, a spreader supported by said yoke, a toggle interposed between said yoke and the cap and comprising a lever and a strut one of which bears against the cap while the other bears against the yoke, the lever extending past the spreader and adjacent thereto, and a retaining member engaging the lever and attached directly to the spreader by fusible means, said retaining member being tensioned to resist the tendency of the lever to swing away from the spreader for releasing the cap, and said spreader and retaining member having mutually opposed faces inclined to the direction of tension on the retaining-member supplementing the fusible means in transmitting said tension.

EMIL TYDEN. 

